Dozens killed in Christmas Day bombings in Nigeria

A crowd gathers at the site of the bomb blast at St Theresa's Catholic Church in Madalla, near Abuja, Nigeria, Dec. 25, 2011. The church was full at the time of the bombing.

Msnbc.com staff and news services report that the Islamist sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a wave of Christmas Day bombings on Sunday, including an attack on a Catholic church that killed at least 27 people.

"We were in the church with my family when we heard the explosion. I just ran out. Now I don't even know where my children or my wife are,'' Timothy Onyekwere told Reuters. "I don't know how many were killed but there were many dead.'' Read more…

EPA

Rev. Issac Achi, right, tries to calm a crowd that gathered at the site of the bomb blast at St Theresa's Catholic Church.